The midterm exam is in-class exam, consisting of multiple choice, identification and essay questions. The exam will cover the course material from the first six weeks of the class, including all lectures, readings and screenings.

True-False

Answer five (5) questions by indicating whether the statement is either true or false. 2 points each.

Multiple Choice

Answer five (5) questions by selecting the best choice that completes each statement. 3 points each.

Identification

Identify five (5) terms and explain the significance of each for the history of the cinema. 6 points each.

Essay Questions

Answer three (3) of the following four questions with a one or two paragraph response, about six to eight sentences, that fully explains what you’re describing. 15 points each.

  1. Compare and contrast the narrative and stylistic practices of the French New Wave (Cahiers du Cinema) directors with those of the Left Bank filmmakers. How did each group’s conception of what cinema should be affect the films they produced? Contrast the significant formal innovations of both groups in Breathless and in Cleo from 5 to 7.
  2. Why were New Wave directors in Eastern Europe freer to try out fresh subjects, themes, and styles than were their Soviet counterparts? What political, economic, and cultural conditions led to the rise of the new Eastern European movements? How did their films reflect or modify the conventions of western art cinema? Focus your response by drawing on representative New Wave film from two of the following countries: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary.
  3. Compare the cinematography and editing in The Red and the White and Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. How do the political contexts of each film determine the different narratives and its use of cinematography and editing?
  4. Describe the important social, economic, and industrial factors leading up to the emergence of the New Hollywood in the early 1970s. What were the causes of the industry-wide recession in the late 1960s? Describe the ways in which Hollywood style was modified in order to reach younger audiences and how Hollywood adopted a more profitable business strategy?